Trouser cuff and method of fastening same



Dec. 28, 1937. C; B, G0QD5TE|N 2,103,845

TROUSER CUFF AND METHOD'OF FASTENING SAME Filed Feb. 15, 1957 lNvENToRCHARLES B. eooosTErN ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 28, 1937 PATENT oFEiaoETROUSER CUFF AND METHOD OF FASTEN- ING SAME vCharles B. Goodstein, NewYork, N. Y.

|`ApplicationFebruary 15, 1937, Serial No. 125,777

12 Claims.

.Thisinvention relates :to methods voi' fastening together ilayersioff'flexible sheet material such as rtextile fabrics. It Visparticularly .di- :rected to trouser cu'ffs V'and :methods of :fasten- 5.ling the trouser cuif in rplace zonthe trouser leg.

`An -object of this finvention ,is to provide a highlyimprove'd methodfor clippingfor stapling Itogether layers of flexiblefsheet materiaLforeX'- ample, a ,trouser cuff, totthe trouser leg, without 110 .exposingany'portionof the clip or staple from the :outside Yof the `ltrouserleg.

.=A :further object of this invention is to provide :a :highly limprovedmethod Yof the character described, wherein vthe staple engages` the :l5bersof the outer foldof the cuff without piercing'said 'outer fold,whereby-*the staple `is hidden .from view when the trouser'isworn.

Afurtherrobject of'thisinventionis to provide Ya trouser cuffhavinghighly improved fastener .20 'means'for'holding the cuff `infplace,fandinclud- :ing a staple vengaging the bers Aof the uouter fold VKof:the-'cuff without piercing the cuff, and being further provided withhooked vends adapted to becomeembeddedin the cuff to l'prevent'the afas-1,25 tener from accidentally loosening.

A'further object of vthis invention is "to provide highly improved,durablefapparatus for lfastening "the trouser cuff inplace,in'accordancevwith my.

invention, which shall :be -easy 'to manipulate e30 without necessitylfor lexceptional skill Vortraining. l

.Y et 'another object of this invention is tozprovide a simple andeconomical improved vprocess Vof the character idescribed,I which shallAbe 1 pracf=35 V'tical and-,efficient :to `a hi'g'h degree.

Other objects ofthisinvention will in part be `obviousand'inpart`hereinafter pointed out.

Thein-vention accordingly consists inthe features-of ,co-nstruction,combinations of elements,

T410-and arrangement vof Yparts which willl be eX- Vem'pliled in theconstruction "hereinafter described, ando'f whichthe scope ofapplication will be indicated in the following claims. p `lin theaccompanying drawing, in which is A -shown one of the various possibleillustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a front, elevational view of theinside of a'portion ofthebottom of a trouser leg and ..50 Villustrating .the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side, .elevational View of apparatus embodying theinvention, for carrying out my improved process;

fFig. .3 is .an enlarged, elevational, cross-sec- ;.55 tional View of aportion of the .apparatus shown in Fig. 2, with the parts in positionafter :the `stapling-operation has :been accomplished;

Eig. 4-is a vcross-sectional view taken on line lI-ll'of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a top plan'view of my improved appa- 5 ratus with the trouserleg in position for :the stapling operation, and taken along lines 5-5of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a ycross-sectional view taken on line -6-6 of Fig. l. f l0IReferring now in detail to the drawing, I0 f designates a portion 'of atrouser leg Hprovided with a cuff II' of usual construction. The'cuff lI, as shown inthe drawing, comprises a fold I2, lextending upwardly fromthe lower end of the 15 bottom ofthe trouser leg. Extendingdownwardlyifrom theupper endof the inner fold "I2 is an outer foldI3,`forming a folded upper-edge I-Ia,:and1terminating in an upwardlyfolded-hem portion 't5 contacting the inner'surface I6 of lthetrouserleg and stitched thereto vin the usual manner.

Trouser cuifs are usually stitched'to the trouser legs to hold the cuffsin place. When, the ftrousers are sent to Adry cleaners or laundries,thestitching is usually-severed so that the cuff may be folded downto'facilitate the cleaning or laundering operation. After'thecleaning-operation, thecuf is folded back into original posi'- ytion. Tosavelabor and expenseof restitching, 30 the trouser cuffsmaygloe easilyand'economically attache'd'to the y'trouser leg in laccordance with myimproved method land with rmy yimproved .apparatuaas will appearhereinafter.

:As vshownfin the drawing, the trouser cuff II fis .fastenedto thetrouser legV I0 :by a staple v2i). Thestaple 20 has a crown-portion 2idisposed at the inner lsurface of the trouser'leg. Extending from the-crown portion `2| are prongs or legs` .ZZeXtending'through the trouserleg ID through 40 the inner fold-Wand engaging the fibers of the outerffold I3 without piercing the latter. The legs 22 pierce'the trouser legI0 and ythe'inner `,fold I2twice,'going' irland coming out, as showninthe drawing. Extending'fromthe legs y22 are hooked or curved portionsv23 exposed -at the inner surface I6 of thetrouser leg. Said hookedvportions 23 :extend inwardly toward eachother and Yare inclined fawayfrom the plane of the legs .22,--to again pierce or become embedded inthe-trouser leg |0, as indicated at 24. It will be noted that-thelegs-22 are bent or-curved when the cuff -is straightened out, as shownin Fig.` 6 of the drawing, and that the Apiercing ends 214 of thestaplerare pointed. 55

The manner of carrying out the stapling operation, and one form ofapparatus on which the same may be carried out, will now be described.The apparatus 30 for carrying out my improved process comprises asupport or stand 3| on which is mounted one leg 32 of a desk typestapling machine. On the leg 32 is the anvilV 33, provided with a pairof similar, symmetrically disposed, diverging grooves 34 of curved,vertical cross-section. Pivoted to the leg 32 is the staple housing 35,provided with a usual plunger housing 3l, on which is slidably mount-edthe usual plunger 38 for driving the staples. The plunger 38 ismaintained in raised position by the usual compression spring 39,interposed between the housing 31 and the head of the plunger. Tonormally maintain the casing 36 in raised position, a compression spring4U is interposed between an abutment 4I on the staple housing, and anabutment 42 on the leg 32.

Slidably mounted on the support 3|, is a member 50 comprising ahorizontal rod 5I slidably received in an opening or socket 52 formed insaid support. A pin 62 on said rod passes through a horizontal slot 62ain said support, to prevent rotation and to limit sliding movementthereof. Interposed between said rod and the rear end of said socket 52is a coil compression spring 5I. A pin 63 on rod 5I is adapted tocontact the front of the support to limit inward movement thereof to apredetermined position. Attached to the front end of rod 5| by screws 54is an angle-shaped plate having a vertical wall 55 and a rearwardlyextending horizontal wall 56 provided with a thickened, rounded,extending tongue 5l. The tongue 5l has a longitudinal, recessed,vertical surface 60 aligned with the anvil 33, for the purposehereinafter appearing.

To carry out my improved process, the cuff of the trouser leg is bento-r folded around the tongue 51 in the manner disclosed in Figs. 2 and 3of the drawing, with the main portion of the cuff disposed beneath thetongue, and the outer fold I3 in contact therewith. The lower edge Ia.of the trouser cuff is disposed adjacent the portion 55 of the member5B. 'I'he upper edge IIa of the trouser cuff is disposed above thetongue 51.

The operator holds the cuiT in the position of Fig. 2 and then pushesmember 5E) inwardly to the position shown in Fig. 3. By then operating afoot pedal, the rod 'l0 is pushed up to rotate the lever 'II and depresshousing 36 until the stop '.'2 on leg 33 is contacted to hold thehousing in horizontal position in engagement with the trouser leg.Further pressure on the pedal thereafter depresses the plunger 38against the pressure of the spring 39 for pressing the staple blankthrough the folded trouser cuff. The bottom ends of the legs of thestaple engaging within the grooves 34 are curved or hooked inwardly andto one side of the plane of the staple. Y

The member 5!! is so positioned during the stapling operation (due tocontact of pins 63 with the support) that the staple will pierce thetrouser leg ID, and the inner fold I2 twice, going in and coming out,and will engage the bers of the outer fold I3 without piercing throughthe same. Preferably the recess El! in the tongue 51 prevents thematerial of the inner fold I3 from being excessively taut Where the legsof the staple pass through or engage the fibers thereof. I preferablyuse staples having relatively long legs, pointed, chiseled or ground atthe ends, as with such staples, the i'lbers of the outer fold are moreeasily engaged, the ends of the staples are more readily Vout myimproved process. may be headed and the other end hooked by a curved inthe anvil, and straightening of the stapled cuffs is facilitated.

After the stapling operation, foot pressure is removed from the footpedal and the member 36 is raised by the spring 4B. Member 5!) isreleased and moves under action of spring 5|. The trouser leg may thenbe removed from the member 50 and straightened out. Upon straighteningthe trouser cui, the legs 22 of the staple will bend or curve into theposition shown in Fig. 6 and the ends of the hooked portions of thestaple will become embedded in the trouser leg and the cuff will besecurely fastened to the trouser leg.

It will be noted that in the stapling operation the legs or prongs donot clinch the fabric, Clinching action being prevented by the stop '12.Clinching is avoided to permit the trouser leg to be straightened outafter stapling. The stop l2, furthermore, prevents the stapling machinefrom compressing or distorting the folded trouser cui, said housingbeing held at a predetermined position above the tongue 5l by said stop.

Although my improved process has been illustrated and described inparticular relation to the fastening of a trouser cuff to a trouser leg,it will be understood that other layers of flexible sheet material, suchas textile fabrics, may be fastened together in accordance with myimproved method, one dominant feature of the invention being the stepsof folding over superimposed layers, driving the staple through thefolded layers adjacent the fold, hooking the ends of the staple legs orprongs, and straightening out the stapled layers after the staplingo-peration.

My improved method may be carried out on stapling machines or apparatusother than that shown in the drawing and described hereinabove, sincethe stapling operation may be carried out on an ordinary `stapler withthe provision of means to hold the trouser cuff in folded position andin predetermined relation to the anvil, and stop means for the staplehousing to prevent Clinching whereby suincient play is allowed to permitthe trouser leg and cuff to be straightened out after stapling.

Although the invention has been described in reference to a prongedstaple, it will be understood that a pin may be employed for carryingOne end of the pin stapling machine or both ends of the pin could behooked or bent after piercing the folded fabric.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which theseveral objects of this invention are achieved, and which is welladapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention,and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth,it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A plurality of superimposed layers of flexible sheets, and means forfastening said sheets together, comprising a staple having a crown atthe outer surface of an outer sheet, legs having pointed ends piercingsaid outer sheet and at least one other sheet, going in and coming out,the ends of said legs being hooked back into U-shape to point toward thecrown at the outer surface of said outer sheet, and being embedded insaid outer sheet.

2. A method of fastening a trouser cuff to a trouser leg consisting infolding the trouser cuff and leg with the outer fold of the trousercuffinner fold of the cuff, and then straightening out Voo the stapledcuff and trouser leg.

3. In combination with a trouser leg and a cuff at one end of thetrouser leg, including inner and outer layers of fabric connected attheir upper edges, means for fastening the cuff to the leg, comprising astaple having prongs passing through the trouser leg, inner layer of thecuff, and through some of the fibers of the outer layer without piercingthe same.

4. A method of fastening to a trouser leg, a cuff including inner andouter layers of fabric, connected at their upper edges, consisting infolding the trouser leg and cuff, passing the prongs of a staple throughthe/folded trouser `leg and inner layer of fabric, going in and comingout, and through some of the fibers of the 5. A method of fastening to`a trouser leg, a

trouser cuff including inner and outer layers of fabric connected attheir upper edges, consisting in folding the trouser leg and cufftogether, passing the prongs rof a staple adjacent the fold, through thefolded trouser leg and inner layer rof fabric, going in and coming out,forcing the ends of the prongs of the staple after the prongs havepierced the trouser leg and inner layer, twice, against an anvil to bendsaid ends at the inner side of the trouser leg toward each other and outof the plane of the prongs toward the trouser leg, and thenstraightening out the folded and stapled trouser leg and cuff, wherebythe points of the bent portions of the prongs be.- come embedded in thetrouser leg, and the staple is completely hidden from view from theoutside.

6. A method of fastening to a trouser leg, a cuff including inner andouter layers of fabric connected at their upper edges, consisting infolding the trouser leg and cuff together, passing the prongs of astaple, through the folded trouser leg and inner layer of fabric, goingin and coming out, adjacent the fold, and through some of the bers ofthe outer layer without piercing through said outer layer, forcing theends of the prongs of the staple after the prongs have pierced thetrouser leg and inner layer twice against an anvil to bend said ends atthe inner side of the trouser leg toward each other and out of the planeof the prongs toward the trouser of the bent portions of the prongsbecome embedded in the trouser leg.

'7. A trouser leg having at its lower end a cuff including inner andouter layers of fabric, a staple having its crown on the inner side ofthe trouser leg and having bendable legs passing through the fabric ofthe trouser leg and the inner layer of the trouser cuff, going in andcoming out, land the ends of the legs of thel staple being hooked backinto U-shape to point toward the crown, at the inner side of the trouserleg and emebedded in said trouser leg, said legs of said staple beingcurved longitudinally and said trouser leg and cuff being straight.

8. A trouser leg having at its lower end a cuff including inner andouter layers of fabric, a staple having its crown on the inner side ofthe trouser leg and having its legs passing through the fabric of thetrouser leg and the inner layer of the trouser cuff, going in and comingout, and the ends of the legs of the staple being hooked at the innerside of the trouser leg, the legs of said staple engaging the fibers ofthe outer layer of the trouser cuff without piercing through the same.

9. A trouser leg having at its lower end a cuff including inner andouter layers of' fabric, a staple having its crown on the inner side ofthe trouser leg and having its legs passing through the fabric of thetrouser leg and the inner layer of the trouser cuff, going in and comingout, and the ends of the legs of the staple being hooked at the innerside of the trouser leg, the hooked ends of said staple being bent outof the plane of the legs toward the trouser leg and being embedded insaid trouser leg.

l0. A trouser leg having at its lower end a cuff including inner andouter layers of fabric, a staple having its crown on the inner side ofthe trouser leg and having its legs passing through the fabric of thetrouser leg and the inner layer of the trouser cuff, going in and corn'-ing out, and the ends of the legs of the staple .being hooked `at theinner side of the trouser leg, the legs of said staple engaging the bersof the outer layer of the trouser cuff without piercing through thesame, the hooked ends of said staple being bent o-ut of the plane of thelegs of the staple toward the trouser leg and being embedded therein,

11. In combination with a trouser leg having a cuff at the bottoni endthereof, comprising inner and outer layers, means for fastening the cuffto the trouser leg, comprising a fastener of bendable metal, having alongitudinally bent portion piercing the trouser leg, the inner layer ofthe trouser cuff and engaging the fibers of the outer layer of thetrouser cuff without piercing through said outer layer.

12. A method of fastening a trouser cuff to a trouser leg, consisting infolding the trouser cuff and leg with the outer fold of the trouser cuffon the inside and the trouser leg on the outside, then driving afastening member through the folded trouser cuff and leg, adjacent thefold, to pierce through the trouser leg and through the inner fold ofthe trouser cuff, going in and coming out, and hooking one end of saidmember on an anvil, after said member has pierced through said trouserleg and inner fold of the cuff, and then straightening out the stapledcuff and trouser leg.

CHARLES B. GOODSTEIN.

